Above the rhythmic click of their needles, a group of knitters laugh, talk — and sometimes cry.

Their stories chronicle gifts of the spirit, often describing mystical ways in which those gifts are realized.

But the women say there is no coincidence — just the tender hands of God working alongside their own.

A prayer shawl ministry of First English Lutheran Church on Main Street, the women gather at church each week between the Sunday services.

Creating shawls of homespun wool or silky, crimped boucle, the knitters work and pray over wares that are often gifted to strangers.

"It's a tangible of God's grace," said Beth Weed of Butler. "He always has his arms around us."

The recipients may be sick, grieving or pregnant. Or maybe they are planning a wedding. The shawls are made for joy or sadness, regardless of church affiliation.

"They don't even have to be Lutheran," said Joan Giese of Center Township, one of the ministry's founders.

Members of the group, some who crochet instead of knit, keep the shawl requests on a prayer list, taking a name when they are ready to start a project.

Time spent on each shawl varies from knitter to knitter, but for Giese, who works a full-time job, shawls take several months to complete.

"In this society today, everything is quick. But shawls aren't quick," she said.

"We're all moving at a very fast pace. The shawl ministry has helped with my prayer time."

As shawls are completed, they are blessed by the Rev. James Dollhopf during Sunday services, allowing congregants to join in the ritual.

"Even though they didn't knit a shawl, they feel a part of it because their blessings are conjoined with all the prayers the knitter put into it," said Jan Greer of Summit Township, one of the ministry's 24 members.

Although the knitter is told the name and situation of the person who will receive the shawl, that information is not disclosed outside the ministry.

Once blessed, the shawl is delivered.

At the group's annual retreat, hosted recently at the church, stories were told of meaningful deliveries, which sometimes yielded comfort to those in the final moments of life.

One knitter told of instinctively knowing a shawl should be delivered at once.

The recipient's hand caressed the shawl just moments before her death.

Several knitters also described arbitrarily selecting yarn, only to learn they had picked their recipient's favorite color.

"We Lutherans are sort of reserved, but something was happening spiritually that we had to address," Giese said, half-joking about the conservative image connected to Lutherans and the "coincidences" that stem from praying over the shawls.

Although the power of prayer is reflected in the women's handiwork, the knitters are quick to note the shawls are meant to offer comfort instead of to ward off difficult times.

The group's scrapbook is filled with heartfelt letters that attest to comfort given and received.

"It's very rewarding for us — as much as for the people who get them," said Greer.

But Weed's mother, Judy Petzold, who attended the retreat while visiting from Alabama, offered another perspective.

Petzold received a shawl from Weed after a hip surgery that left her feeling nauseated and tired.

"That shawl got a workout," she recalled. "I would curl my feet all the way up to my chin."

"It was warm, but it made me feel warm because of the prayer of the Lord," she added, referring to a special prayer affixed on a tag to every shawl.

"I read the prayer. Because I cried, I didn't think I could read it again. I felt that shawl was infused with prayer: The prayers were woven in."

The ministry was formed in December 2004 with eight members.

"We have now blessed and distributed over 250 shawls," said Roe Goda of Middlesex Township, another founding member.

The shawls range from cream-colored triangular wool creations — more appropriate for a man — to more feminine coral rectangle shapes adorned on the ends with fringe.

As the shawls are made, members add sample swatches and knitting instructions to a binder for future reference.

The ministry was formed after Giese was introduced to the concept at a retreat near Prospect, also attended by Betsy Rideout of Butler, a member of Grace @ Calvary Lutheran Church.

After returning home, Rideout likewise started the Grace-full Knitters, a similar ministry at Grace @ Calvary.

"We both said, 'Let's do it,"Rideout said. "It's a great ministry, and people are just so touched by it."

The ministries were inspired by a shawl ministry begun in 1998 by Janet Bristow and Victoria Galo, two graduates of the 1997 Women's Leadership Institute at The Hartford Seminary in Hartford, Conn.

Books like "Knitting into the Mystery: A Guide to the Shawl Knitting Ministry" copyrighted in 2003 by Susan Izard and Susan S. Jorgensen, help to perpetuate the trend.

With 13 churches represented at First English Lutheran's annual shawl ministry retreat this month, it appears other groups are also interested.

The 40-some attendees, which ranged from senior citizens to children, socialized and worked on projects over the course of an afternoon.

Although most attendees were newly acquainted, some novice knitters received lessons from their more experienced peers.

"It definitely illustrates the power of prayer and the power of people working together," Weed said.

"All those stories aren't coincidences."